Thread: In fire?s aftermath, salvage logging makes a comeback
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Old 10-09-2003, 03:23 AM
Larry Caldwell
 
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Default In fire?s aftermath, salvage logging makes a comeback
(Le Messurier) writes:

My understanding of the effects of the Biscuit Fire in the Kalmiosis
Wilderness is that only a rather small portion of it was severely
burned; the rest was moderate to light. I have no first hand
knowledge of this, but if true, salvage logging may be pointless from
a forest restoration point of view. Is my understanding correct or
off the mark?

The OSU report indicated that there is 2.5 billion board feet of salvage
available within 2 miles of existing roads.

Right after the fire the "fire is natural" crowd attempted to minimize
the scope of the holocaust. They would point to a couple green branches
on a burned tree and claim the destruction was not total. Well, the
trees died anyway. Most of the Biscuit Fire burned in conditions of wind
and single digit humidity. The fire was so intense that even undisturbed
old growth timber died.

If you want to accurately know how much salvage is available, you will
have to look for a salvage cruise. I doubt the USFS will do one. From
aerial surveys, 225,000 acres have lost a significant conifer component,
and 80,000 acres of spotted owl habitat has been destroyed.

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